I.C.E.

Wait, before you run from the title, as many of you may have had so much ice that you don't even want to think about more, check closely. You'll notice that the title has periods in between the letters....yes, I.C.E. Does "in case of emergency" automatically come to mind? I hope so. Not that we want to linger on anything tragic or even upsetting happening, but when and if it does, we all will be better prepared. Better to prepare and be ready than to find yourself in an emergency situation and be UN-prepared, right? An article in the REAL SIMPLE magazine made me consider my own circumstances. I am loving this magazine, btw! Anyway, there is an article entitled "in case of emergency" and it deals with navigating your way through the ER and how to make your next trip there as painless as possible. Some really good considerations are found in this article. This article is located in the March 2009 issue, and when I checked online to see the form they refer to in this article, it wasn't there. I've contacted the editor and hope to have an answer for us all soon. The first thing to do, if you've not done so already, is to list an I.C.E. contact in your cell phone. Simply add a phone number for your spouse or an emergency contact, and list it as I.C.E./name. Go ahead and do it; I'll wait!

Next, the magazine suggests, along with your insurance card, to have tucked into your wallet, a medical card that provides a brief, thorough account of your medical background. This is where the magazine comes in, because they say they will have a form available online, at realsimple.com/er. (this link doesn't work yet, but since it is the March issue, maybe it is forthcoming.) It is recommended that you keep it behind your driver's license in your wallet because if a patient is unable to speak, paramedics will always look through a wallet. They suggest the following info be included.
-A list of prescription and over the counter medications, including dosages, frequency, and any recent changes in them, plus a list of any herbal supplements or vitamins you are taking.
-Allergies, even to contrast dye or latex
-Any major surgeries you've had
-Doctors' names and phone numbers.
-Contact numbers for you and your health-care proxy or next of kin.

I'm thinking it might be a good idea for a mom of young children to have this info for each child in her wallet in the event that she is injured and cannot provide the info needed. Of course it is info that changes and will need to be kept up to date. Perhaps this is a good procedure to update on New Years Day or on the child's birthday.

Also they recommend making sure you provide a notarized "consent-to-treat" form for any children or elderly parents left in the care of someone else. They say a printable form is available at emergencycareforyou.org. It would need to be notorized, but a good idea to have I.C.E.!

This article also suggests that it could be beneficial to go to the ER by way of ambulance IF there is chest pain, shortness of breath, weakness, altered mental status or uncontrolled bleeding. Ambulance workers are able to take advantage of the time en route, and as well, can notify the ER of the situation while they are on the way. For non-threatening injuries (a broken hand, a small laceration, etc.) going by car should be fine. In some cases, arriving by ambulance doesn't equal faster care, suggests ER nurse Connie Meyer.
I'd highly recommend getting the magazine and reading the article found on pages 69-75 to get the full benefit of the information available. There are other great resoures found in this magazine as well.
This is not what the March 09 cover looks like, but I just wanted to give you an example of the magazine, so you'd know what to look for!